Street racers' driving bans total 300 years
Street racers have been handed driving bans totalling more than 300 years following a blitz by police after cars were clocked at speeds up to 120 mph.
Around 250 people, including a 26-year-old man from Lichfield, have started bans and been handed fines topping £2,000 after being hauled before the courts.
Police positioned covert cameras around a main road close to Birmingham's Star City complex to catch the drivers tearing around during illegal street races.
Police today said the drivers had been dicing with death and putting innocent motorists lives at risk by their actions.
Among those punished have been a 60-year-old man from the Solihull area and a 53-year-old man from Birmingham.
The Lichfield driver was fined £2,000 and banned for 18 months after police clocked him racing a high-powered BMW at more than 100mph.
Innocent drivers demanded police take action after being caught up in the races which sped along the A47 Heartlands Parkway close to the M6 motorway.
Nearby residents had also grown increasingly concerned with the noise of screeching tyres and revving engines from the races, which usually happened on Sunday nights and bank holidays.
Temporary traffic calming barriers have now been erected by West Midlands Police.
Pc Paul Bieliauskas today warned that more police operations are scheduled this summer to catch anyone tempted to race on the region's roads.
